More than 160 NCWIT research-based resources raise awareness, increase knowledge, and build capacity for individuals and organizations to reach out to critical populations and implement systemic change. NCWIT provides resources for reform at every level — K-12, postsecondary, industry — that are attractive, easy-to-use, free, and available in both electronic and print formats.

Are you interested in getting more girls involved in your computing competition? This Top 10 resource offers simple suggestions to make your competition appeal to a wider range of participants. Taking these steps will benefit all students and help make your event a success.

The recent upsurge in enrollments in computing means that student attrition has a substantial opportunity cost. Admitting a student who leaves both reduces graduation yield and prevents another equally qualified student from enrolling. Professors cannot change the background of students, but they can control many aspects of student experience in the computing major. This paper presents the results of a study to understand strongest predictors of retention in undergraduate computing based on a large-scale survey administered in 14 U.S.

This editor-reviewed article in the Journal for Computing Teachers, Summer 2011 Edition, provides a detailed overview of the many free, easy-to-use publications available online for educators interested in attracting more students to computing.

Spanish version of Why Should Young Women Consider a Career in Information Technology? This card gives adults talking points and additional resources for a conversation with their daughters and/or other young people. The main message is that IT offers meaningful work, security and high salaries with a bachelor’s degree, and flexibility and variety. Information is provided to address these specific questions: What should you tell a young woman about a career in IT? How can a young woman prepare now for a career in IT?

The first step toward an effective flexible workplace is for managers to create an environment where employees feel they can discuss available work-life options without being stigmatized. These tips can help managers create such an environment, followed by additional tips for actually having these conversations with employees.

The February 2011 National Girls Collaborative Project Webinar, NCWIT Resources: Inspiring Girls to Pursue Careers in Information Technology, is archived at the NGCP website. This webcast highlights free materials and information for attracting more girls and underrepresented groups to computing and information technology and shares how formal and informal educators are using these resources to strengthen programming for girls. An archive of the webinar and the final powerpoint slides are available for viewing:

Technical women face challenges, from institutionalized bias to differences in communication styles to a lack of female role models. Developed in collaboration with the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, Mentoring-in-a-Box: Technical Women at Work helps women excel in the technical professions and advance to positions of leadership.

Entrepreneurial Series Report #2 summarizes research literature on women's entrepreneurship in the information technology field with a focus on positive illusions, motivations, management style, stereotypes, stress, and psychological traits.

Companies that establish organizational accountability for diversity, whether in the form of full-time diversity staff or a diversity task force, are more likely to increase the representation of women and minorities in management than companies that use only mentoring or diversity training programs.

The décor of physical spaces conveys messages about the kinds of people who belong there and the kinds of activities that should be done there. Understanding this influence allows us to actively craft an environment that makes a broad range of people feel welcome in computing.